The prior art discloses many different types of fasteners; and particularly interlocking fasteners. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,570 states that there are generally three types of interlocking fasteners, where one such type of interlocking fastener is commonly known as a “slide fastener” which typically includes two joinable members each with alternating ridges and cavities. The two members of the “slide fastener” are joined together by inserting the ridge of one member into the cavity of the other member. This type of interlocking fastener prevents the interlocking members from planar sliding but perpendicular movement of the interlocking members is hot prevented.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,570 goes on to state that a second type of interlocking fastener is commonly called a “zipper” fastener; while a third common type of interlocking fastener, is a “pressure-type” device commonly known as a “VELCRO”—type device or fastener. U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,570 relates to a fastener using manual pressure having two flexible opposed fastening members each of which has a plurality of alternating flexible burrs and burr seating cavities. The burrs of one member interdigitate with the burr cavities of the other member when pressed together.
Another arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,670 which discloses a touch fastener product where the fastener elements define a sufficient number and pattern of, pockets between associated group[s of adjacent stems to provide a desired bulk locking ratio when engaged with an identical pattern at a zero degree engagement angle.
Moreover U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,853 relates a separable fastener includes a pair of fastener pieces. Each of the fastener pieces includes a flat base and a plurality of elastic engagement projections provided on and integral with the base and arranged in a plurality of lateral and longitudinal rows. The engagement projections have respective heads of a uniform size. Each of the heads is supported on the base via a pair of leg pieces united at the upper end to opposed edge portions of the bottom of the head.
Yet another arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,562 which relates to an interengaging fastener including two fastener members and structure for locating one fastener member with respect to the other fastener member. In one embodiment, the locating structure includes a protrusion extending from one fastener member and an opening formed in the other fastener member.
Furthermore U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,245 illustrates a fastener having a first member and a second member, each member having structured surfaces thereon. The first member has two major surfaces oppositely disposed, at least a portion of each major surface having structured surfaces. The second member has at least one major surface having a structured surface. The first member is fastened to the second member when the two major surfaces of the first member are disposed between the structured surface of the second member and the elements of the structured surfaces bend and twist as well as frictionally adhere during attachment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,511 refers to an inter engaging fastener member having a fabric layer; while U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,170 relates to a synthetic resin molded surface fastener.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,015,910 discloses a one piece multi-rib fastener including at least two groups of ribs, each rib with one or more hooks, wherein the groups are separated by a space less than the width of the maximum number of ribs within one of the groups.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,238 shows a mechanical fastener including a plurality of engaging stems located in unordered arrangements, which repeat on a substrate. A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a mechanical fastener with a plurality of repeating unordered arrangements, where the arrangements repeat in more than one direction. The unordered arrangements of the engaging stems allow pairs of the fasteners to interengage with themselves, or in other words, to self-mate. Additionally, the unordered arrangements of engaging stems allow the fasteners to interengage at any relative angular orientation with a relatively constant engagement force, and a relatively constant disengagement force regardless of their angular orientation. The unordered arrangements of engaging stems also allow pairs of fasteners to interengage at any relative planar position with a relatively constant engagement force and a relatively constant disengagement force regardless of their planar position
U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,876 relates to a separable plastic male-to-male connector includes a pair of connector units each having a planar base and a plurality of protrusions extending outward from the base and being oriented on the base so as to form a matrix. The matrix has a plurality of lateral and longitudinal rows.
Finally U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,467 claims an interlocking device having a first portion including a first basal surface and a first plurality of islands provided thereon, each of said islands having a plurality of sidewalls; a second portion including a structure having a plurality of apertures formed therein and a plurality of walls defining said plurality of apertures; the first plurality of islands being positioned on said first basal surface and configured so that said first plurality of islands may be received in said plurality of apertures; and where the plurality of sidewalls and the plurality of walls being configured so that when the first plurality of islands is positioned in the plurality of apertures, application of a relative shearing force to the first and second portions causes ones of the plurality of sidewalls to slidingly engage corresponding respective ones of the plurality of walls until the ones of the plurality of sidewalls engage the correspondingly respective ones of the plurality of walls sufficiently to block further relative movement in a direction of the relative shearing force with the result that a greater force is required to remove the first plurality of islands from said plurality of apertures along an axis extending perpendicular to said first basal surface after application of said shearing force than before.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved fastening device or closure which has a superior fastening capacity but reusable when desired.
It is another object of this invention to provide a closure or locking or joining device which requires less force to connect than to disconnect.
It is another object of this invention to provide a locking device which features substantially little if any lateral, diagonal, or vertical movement once the members or components are joined together.
It is an aspect of this invention to provide a closure comprising: a first surface having a plurality of resiliently deformable first projections extending outwardly from said first surface and terminating at a distal end to present a plurality of first heads respectively; a second surface defining a plurality of cavities for capturing said first heads of said first surface.
It is an aspect of this invention to provide a closure comprising: a first surface having a plurality of first projections extending outwardly from said first surface and terminating at a distal end to present a plurality of first heads respectively; a second surface having a plurality of second projections extending outwardly from said second surface and terminating at a distal end to present a plurality of second heads respectively; said plurality of first heads different from said plurality of second heads;
whereby the space between adjacent first upstanding projections define a first cavity to capture said second heads of said second surface; and wherein the space between adjacent second upstanding projections to define a second cavity to capture said first heads of said first surface.
It is another aspect of this invention to provide a closure assembly comprising: a first surface having a plurality of male projections extending axially outwardly from said first surface to present a plurality of male engagement members respectively; a second surface having a plurality of female projections extending axially outwardly from said second surface to define a plurality of female cavities to capture said plurality of engagement members respectively; wherein each said male projection presents a male shoulder intermediate said engagement member and said first surface, and each said female projection presents a female shoulder for engagement with said male shoulder, respectively.
Yet another aspect of this invention relates to method of securing two parts together where one part includes a plurality of first projections extending outwardly from said first part and terminating at a distal end to present a plurality of first heads and first cavities respectively, and a second part includes a plurality of second projections extending outwardly from said second part and terminating at a distal end to present a plurality of second heads and second cavities respectively;
moving such first part towards its second part; deforming said plurality of first and second heads to capture said first and second heads into said plurality of second cavities and said first cavities respectively.
These and other objects and features shall now be described in relation to the following drawings.